Pre-patterning and post-oxidation-crosslinking of Fe(0) particles for a humidity-sensing actuator

Abstract

We propose a pre-patterning and post-oxidation-crosslinking protocol to prepare a humidity-sensing actuator. Fe(0) particles (FeP) are introduced into a sodium alginate (SA) film under a magnetic field (15 mT) to achieve directional pre-patterning, followed by treatment in hydrochloric acid that oxidates FeP into Fe²⁺, and triggers the crosslinking between Fe²⁺ and SA, which provides the actuator with differential mechanical tensors and induces controlled response to humidity.